<p>wcramer, tell me about Indiana University-Bloomington. This is my daughter’s first choice out of 11 she’s applying to. And she just got accepted with a nice $36,000 scholarship. ($9,000 a year). My daughter is a California coast girl through and through…and yet she wants to experience something different. She doesn’t want to go to the same schools as her classmates (mostly UCs and CSUs, many of them near the beach.) She wants a whole new experience. But at the same time, she knows that a huge school like IU will be more liberal than others in the midwest. She is not a conservative. We’ve heard that Bloomington is a great college town, too.</p>
<p>So, would you recommend it? :)</p>
<p>QUOTE"</p>
<p>We are excited about seeing NY for the first time. We are Hoosiers (Indiana)…
… The only choice for her a few months ago was IU Bloomington which still really seems like a great choice.</p>
<p>I graduated from IU in the 1980’s and am from New York State. I also wanted to get away and out of my state for school. I loved everything about IU. You could find any type of crowd you were looking for. It had partiers, non-partiers, conservative, liberal, hippy, artsy, sorority/frat people, international students, etc etc. Everything. I would say the outlying areas were very conservative but at the actual university there was every kind of person and group imaginable. The fall and spring seasons were beautiful. Winter…not as bad as New York state where I was from. It attracts many out of state students (although, of course, most will be in state) due to high ranking schools such as business, music,etc and I enjoyed being an OOS student there. The campus is stunningly beautiful as well.</p>
<p>WFUV, a Public Broadcasting station, is broadcast out of Fordham. Very crunchy-granola type programming - so - there must be staff and administration on the campus with that leaning…as well as students.</p>
<p>(and they broadcast Mass on Sunday from 11am - noon…which will hopefully make Dad happy!!!)</p>
<p>You and your D might enjoy listening online:</p>
<p>Thank you, Saf! I enjoy reading that people like IU. It makes it easier for me to accept the fact that this is my daughter’s first choice from out here in California. :)</p>
<p>Saf said:</p>
<p>I graduated from IU in the 1980’s and am from New York State. I also wanted to get away and out of my state for school. I loved everything about IU. You could find any type of crowd you were looking for. It had partiers, non-partiers, conservative, liberal, hippy, artsy, sorority/frat people, international students, etc etc. Everything. I would say the outlying areas were very conservative but at the actual university there was every kind of person and group imaginable. The fall and spring seasons were beautiful. Winter…not as bad as New York state where I was from. It attracts many out of state students (although, of course, most will be in state) due to high ranking schools such as business, music,etc and I enjoyed being an OOS student there. The campus is stunningly beautiful as well.</p>
<p>2Leashes: I can only give you the parent impression of Bloomington and IU - from a few visits that I have been on. The campus is very beautiful. They were very accommodating on our recent trip down - met with the chair of the philosophy department and one of the representatives from the Ernie Pyle school of Journalism. They both gave us time and attention - pretty nice for a university with 40K students. The school is reputed to be safe and there are some living-learning communities (dorms with perks and obligations) that my D is interested in being a part of. Also, they really seem to have a great academic reputation for the fields of study they are involved in (business, Journalism, fine arts). The college town is a walk from campus and the atmosphere is one of fun (yes some partying from what I saw I was in town on a Friday night) and lots of eclectic arts, crafts, foods, there is a Buddhist Monastery which fascinated my D. The surrounding area I think is lovely, being southern Indiana it has a lot more rolling hills than northern Indiana where I live. There are lots of bike trails too. I think the town likes the college. That is the impression I got. I don’t know first hand but I would bet there is an organization to match every interest. </p>
<p>Best of luck! I told my D about California kids wanting to come to Indiana and she is amazed. But she certainly feels the need for something new, too. </p>
<p>Thanks for the great posts and links to radio stations, etc. I will share them with my D. We are flying to LaGuardia Tuesday and will be on campus at Lincoln Center in the early AM, and riding the Ram Van to Rose Hill. We are going on a tour and hopefully meet with the admissions rep and also a representative from the Honors College at Rose Hill. Then, I guess we wander the city for awhile before flying home. A whirlwind trip but looks like we will have chilly/mild weather which is good.</p>
<p>Will post impressions/review later this week.</p>
<p>Hello all,
Well we are back! Missed our return flight and didn’t get in until the wee hours on Thursday morning so today is the first day I feel “normal”.<br>
NY (Manhattan) is bustling, energetic, and cleaner and safer than I expected it to be. Transportation was a snap.<br>
My D impression seems to be that she did not get a good “vibe” at Rose Hill. The campus was pretty (architecture was amazing, mom’s opinion) but oddly she preferred the student body type at Lincoln Center.<br>
We did NOT tour the Lincoln Center but got a feel just by being near the campus itself. I would not like to step out of my door and have a hotbed of activity going on 24/7, but my D seemed okay with that (go figure she is 17! : ) ha ha).<br>
We rode the Ram Van to Rose Hill and took a tour of the campus, then met with the Honors College, then back to admissions where we met the admissions rep, and then we ate in the campus cafeteria before returning to Manhattan.<br>
A question I asked the Honors College rep (while he was walking us to the admissions building) was “are there any hippie, groovy, earthy-type students here?” and he said “Have you seen any?” and of course we hadn’t. So, as accommodating and helpful as everyone was at Rose Hill, I don’t think my D is likely to “find her tribe” as another parent put it. I don’t doubt Fordham’s excellence in education and great reputation. I didn’t see enough (or any) of the surrounding area (Bronx) to have any idea of safety or culture. Knowing that my D is a vegan, being in the Bronx and little Italy there isn’t going to be much in the way of off campus dining for her unless she went into Manhattan.<br>
By the way, there is a vegan station at the cafeteria at Rose Hill, and I thought the food was pretty good!
So, very glad we went to see for ourselves what the “feel” was, and didn’t just rely on others opinions.<br>
I am wondering if she should change her app to the Lincoln Center college of Fordham just to see what happens?<br>
Her quote: “I don’t know if I see myself here, Mom”.
At the end of the day she still has a burning desire to go to Portland, Oregon to Lewis and Clark college. It seems to be a more appropriate fit for her. Money-wise though the number one school is back to IU, Bloomington.<br>
I plan to post a formal “Visit Report” later but have to run for now.
Wendy</p>
<p>It couldn’t hurt to change the app to Lincoln Center, because <em>may</em> change her mind, and it really isn’t that big a hassle, but it doesn’t seem to be the direction the horse is going.</p>
<p>My DD applied to Lincoln Center campus and loves the area. She <em>was</em> admitted, but preferred Barnard which is now her alma mater (it goes fast) and is applying to Fordham Law School for September.</p>
<p>My D’s good friend from HS attends Fordham (Lincoln Center); she is a junior now and loves it. She is a theater person and has had many opportunities to work backstage at off Broadway productions in addition to her on campus work. She wasn’t thrilled with her first year living arrangements–some kind of suite with a lot of other girls. She picked a roommate online that she thought was nice, normal, etc. who turned out to be one of those girls who goes wild, gets drunk, and throws up several times a week. Well, live and learn. She moved into an apartment nearby the following year and now has a nice, normal BF and has found more like-minded friends through the theater department. She loves her theater classes, but not so much the required ones she has to take. However, overall, she thinks it was still the best choice for her. NYC is the place for her and her interests, as it is for many but not for all.</p>
<p>Too bad there weren’t any “hippie groovy” types on campus. It is a beautiful campus, and the Arthur Avenue area has amazing food (does your daughter eat pasta?)</p>
<p>Also…if they had a Vegan section at the cafeteria…there must be people eating it!</p>
<p>'ve been very impressed with how open you’ve been to the input on this thread and I think it’s great that your D went to see the school. Sorry it didn’t seem like a better fit…but…it’s likely you’re both right and she may find more of her “tribe” in Oregon!</p>
<p>Reed is absolutely the college she wants to go to. Problem is the money - they do not award merit aid, we are not likely to get much need based assistance and we don’t have money saved for school. And, I am still paying off loan debt myself, and not interested in taking on more (or even cosigning) for that option. Yes, Reed would be the <em>ultimate</em> option were it possible. Lewis and Clark has a few merit scholarships on a competitive basis and that would be the only option for her attendance. No award, no chance. So, she is trying to put together a great portfolio for L & C. She is a NMSemi Finalist, National Hispanic Scholar, SAT (M+CR=1440) and her school does not rank but she is in the top quintile. (I think that means fifth, don’t mean to sound haughty that is how I have seen it written). The merit awards at L & C look highly competitive, but I encourage her to put her best effort forward and see what happens. I thought NY would make a possible good fit and the only way we would know is to visit, so we went there. If she receives an offer from L & C we will visit Portland, otherwise there isn’t much point in going out there (except to tease her, : ).</p>
<p>I think your daughter would adore Grinnell, which does offer merit aid, although maybe not enough for your D.</p>
<p>It is rural, so not what she’s looking for there, but I think the kind of students and caliber of education is exactly what she’s looking for. Try to read some of bethievt"s posts. </p>
<p>Her S looked at a slew of competitive LAC’s, Reed among them, was accepted at all of them, and chose Grinnell. I think it was also the only school that offered him merit money, that that was not why he chose it.</p>
<p>I think, if I’m not misquoting, he said, “These are my people.”</p>
<p>Hi 2boysima,
Yes I am certain that there are other vegans! But the tide had already started to turn at that point… yes she does eat pasta - and I am sure she wouldn’t be “miserable” there, she was just not very excited about the campus/area. She was more excited about Bloomington (Indiana University main campus).<br>
I love all the replies and opinions and input from everyone - it gives so much more depth to the search than just reading web pages of colleges and scouring those darn million page college ranking and review books…
-Wendy</p>
<p>It sounds to me like Lewis & Clark could be a very good fit for your D. My D applied to L&C for 2006, was accepted and offered nice merit aid of $12K - $14K/yr (with no scholarship app). She decided it wasn’t for her, but it’s definitely “hippie, groovy, earthy” with a nice campus in a VERY cool city. I hope you and she have a chance to visit.</p>
<p>I think we have trust our kids’ instincts. They know that they will be spending 4 +/- years at a school, and not only want to pursue their passions, but also “find their tribe” as you say. College is not just the classroom experience, but also living and interacting with others. </p>
<p>After taking S2 to many college visits and looking at web-sites with him, I finally figured out a way to predict if we liked the “vibe” or not. Just look at the students’ hair - how natural or “groomed” and how long or short. He’s a “hippie, groovy, earthy” kid too, and rarely liked schools where the guys all had clean cuts. He’s applied to L&C as well. He felt right at home when he visited. (One thing L&C does for student visits is to invite only the students to lunch in the dining hall. We parents went to a small grill and chatted, while our kids had lunch and conversations with their hosts.)</p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter! I think college visits are so worth the money and effort, even when our kids decide not to apply.</p>
<p>Have your d call or email her admissions counselor & ask to have her application switched to the Lincoln Center campus. I find the students are more “artsy” there, and she most likely will feel more comfortable in that setting, & when she receives that $120,000 scholarship, she may just fall in love.</p>
<p>Hi everyone,
Well the holidays are past - and I wanted to finally post an update on the Fordham situation - first, my DD was accepted AND awarded a full tuition semifinalist scholarship! That’s the good news. The other news is - well, she probably won’t be accepting it. I was so thrilled by her achievement that I am happy no matter what she decides. I must admit, I am a little surprised they offered her the full tuition - she is not in the top ten percent of her class (but she is close). How utterly thrilling yet also somehow sort of wistfully sad.<br>
I am proud of her and it looks more and more like IU- Indiana University will be her choice. She has pretty well stopped taking any initiative with other school’s deadlines, applications, etc.
My suspicion is both 1) severe senioritis, and 2) this new boyfriend of hers.<br>
As much as it disappoints me to see her lose her enthusiasm for the college search, I am happy that she will be close to home. As for the boy, well, that is another story, one for other than “College Confidential” forums… : )
Thanks to all and it’s been a journey.<br>
And, the journey has in so many ways just begun!
Happiest New Year to All!
Wendy</p>